Annex E: The Digital Skills Agenda

Introduction

Young people need to develop digital skills in order to thrive
in modern society and the workplace. The digital technology sector
and wider economy can offer exciting and well-rewarded careers to
those with the right high level skills and attributes. Through our
work on digital skills we can forge strong links between the two,
to the benefit of our young people and economy alike.

The Digital Learner Journey - Vision

We want to ensure that from the earliest stages of their
education, children can begin to develop digital literacy, finding
stimulation in early years settings and schools which use digital
technology to enrich learning across the curriculum. As they
advance through education, they should develop increasingly
sophisticated technical skills, becoming confident in the creation
as well as use of digital materials. Across a range of different
subjects, they will develop computational thinking, taking a
logical and creative approach to problem solving. They will learn
more about different jobs, the use they can make of their digital
skills in a wide range of careers and the pathways that they can
take to reach them. They can develop their technical expertise both
in the classroom and through out-of-school clubs. Both girls and
boys will value their digital skills and the opportunities they
offer. Links between schools, colleges, universities and industry
will ensure that their learning is enriched by a range of
professionals. This will help them take the next step - whether
that's into further/higher education, apprenticeship or a job - and
continue to build a future where their learning, life and work are
all enhanced by their digital skills.

Digital Skills Investment Plan

Since the 2014 launch of the
ICT/Digital
Technologies Skills Investment Plan (
SIP), a strong
public/private sector partnership, supported by £8.5 million
Scottish Government funding, has driven forward a range of
initiatives to ensure that:

employers have the short and long-term pipeline of digital
talent which they require; and

individuals are equipped to access the many high-quality jobs
which the Digital Technologies sector and wider economy can
offer.

The
SIP is structured
around a number of objectives and themes:

A key feature of the Digital Technologies
SIP is that it
provides a framework and action plan for public bodies, industry
and education to invest in and take forward projects jointly.

Initiatives like CodeClan, Scotland's first accredited digital
skills academy providing an intensive retraining programme,
demonstrate that innovative approaches can be achieved through
private and public sector working to jointly develop solutions.
This has helped to address the sector's immediate needs.

Current Developments

Attention is now particularly focused on broadening the talent
pipeline over time, ensuring that our education system both
responds to and capitalises on the future high quality job
opportunities available to young people.

This aligns closely with our work on a forthcoming Scottish
Government
STEM
strategy which will raise the levels of
STEM
enthusiasm, skills and knowledge in order to support attainment in
learning, life and to meet labour market needs. Digital will be a
key element of that strategy. Likewise, we are acting to ensure we
build on the clear synergies between the work on digital skills and
wider activity on Developing the Young Workforce. The Digital
Technologies sector can offer valuable opportunities to test and
improve industry/education links more generally.

Actions being taken both through and beyond the Skills
Investment Plan include:

A refresh of relevant elements of the
curriculum, resulting in updated expectations
and an increased focus on digital skills development.

Digital Schools - a new programme bringing
together industry and education representatives to test
innovative approaches to high level digital skills development in
secondary schools, using regional pathfinders with a view to
developing a national framework and transforming practice.

Digital World - an industry-led marketing
campaign raising awareness of the varied and attractive careers
available to those with requisite digital skills and
qualifications.

Digital Xtra - a co-ordinated approach to
funding for extra-curricular activities such as coding clubs, in
particular encouraging girls and other under-represented groups
to develop these key skills.

A range of support to
build teacher confidence and capacity. For
example, Education Scotland digital development officers offering
support in the use of technology and development of digital
skills in primary schools across Scotland; with new materials and
free workshops available through the Barefoot Computing
programme; and a new Digital Schools Award available in primary
schools.

Using the Digital Schools framework and other means to
explore and respond to
professional development needs at secondary
level.

Work to boost the number of Computing Science
teachers, encouraging more to enter the
profession with our 'Inspiring Teachers' campaign, increased
student intake targets and efforts to develop innovative routes
into the profession.

Ongoing work to expand and refresh the suite of
qualifications available to develop and accredit
learners' digital skills (e.g. new National Progression Award in
Cyber Security).

Developing new vocational
digital pathways such as digital Foundation and
Graduate Apprenticeships to increase both the numbers of new
entrants and educational routes into the sector. This involves
schools, colleges and universities working in partnership with
industry to ensure that these courses remain relevant to industry
requirements.

Plans for a Digital
Gender Action Plan (due November 2016) to
encourage more young women to enter the Digital Technologies
sector.

Investment in
Cyber Security skills and promotion of the
careers opportunities available in this key sector of the digital
economy. For example, opportunities for senior pupils to attend a
residential Cyber Camp at Glasgow Caledonian University and a
Cyber Skills day for girls at Napier University, through a
partnership with
GCHQ.

A new
Digital Skills Partnership building stronger
links between employers, colleges and universities with a view to
improved knowledge sharing and the potential for specific courses
to be quality assured. This will ease the transition between
education and employment for many young people.

This wide-ranging series of actions will help to equip all young
people with the digital skills they need to thrive in modern
society and the workplace, creating a pathway into high quality
careers in the Digital Technologies sector and wider economy,
thereby increasing national productivity and growth.